17 Favorite 1950s Clips by Bill Holman

As an arranger, the late Bill Holman knew how to set 'em up and knock 'em down. His arrangements often began with a relatively simple melodic idea, which he then whipped up into a wind storm without losing the original concept. He loved to put the reeds in play, setting them off with call-and-response harmony exchange from the horns. What mattered most was the build—the steady march toward a crescendo. [Photo above of Bill Holman, center, in the 1950s, with Zoot Sims, left, and an unknown trombonist, by William Claxton]

To pay tribute to Bill, I've chosen 17 of my favorite arrangements from the 1950s. Bill, of course, would continue to arrange into the 2000s and win Grammys for his work along the way. But for me, Bill's spirit and Los Angeles' post-war innocence and modernism were baked into his 1950s charts:

Here's Invention for Guitar and Trumpet in 1952...

Here's Kingfish in 1954...

Here's Ragamuffin for the Frank Rosolino Sextet, with Sam Noto (tp), Frank Rosolino (tb), Charlie Mariano (as), Pete Jolly (p), Max Bennett (b) and Mel Lewis (d), in 1954 ...

Here's Stompin' at the Savoy for Kenton in 1955...

Here's Grasshopper for Shelly Manne & His Men in 1955...

Here's Frivolous Sal for Sal Salvador in 1956...

Here's Somebody Wants Me Down There for Maynard Ferguson's Dream Band in 1956...

Here's Little Joe for Frank Socolow in 1956, with Eddie Bert (tb), Frank Socolow (as,ts), Eddie Costa (p), Sal Salvador (g), Bill Takas (b) and Jimmy Campbell (d), in 1956....

Here's Rebel at Work in 1956...

Here's Blue Rose for Charlie Barnet in 1956...

Here's Bright Eyes for The Bill Holman Band in 1957, with Conte Candoli, Al Porcino and Ray Linn (tp); Stu Williamson (tp,v-tb); Harry Betts, Ray Sims and Bob Fitzpatrick (tb); Herb Geller and Charlie Mariano (as); Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca and Charlie Kennedy (ts); Steve Perlow (bar); Lou Levy (p); Max Bennett (b) and Mel Lewis (d)...

Here's It's a Lovely Day Today for Jackie and Roy, with Jackie Cain and Roy Kral (vcl); Al Porcino (tp); Stu Williamson (tp,v-tb); Frank Rosolino and Ray Sims (tb); Charlie Mariano (as); Herbie Mann (ts,fl); Richie Kamuca (ts); Dave Pell (bar); Russ Freeman (p); Max Bennett (b); Shelly Manne (d) and Bill Holman (arr,cond), in 1957...

Here's Easy to Love for Maynard Ferguson on Boy With Lots of Brass in 1957, with Maynard Ferguson, John Bello, Joe Burnett and Tom Slaney (tp); Bob Burgess and Jimmy Cleveland (tb); Anthony Ortega (as); Jimmy Ford (as,ts); Willie Maiden (ts,arr); Tate Houston (bar); Bobby Timmons (p); Richard Evans (b) and Larry Bunker (d)...

Here's Venus de Milo for The Gerry Mulligan Songbook in 1957, with Lee Konitz (as), Allen Eager and Zoot Sims (as,ts), Al Cohn (bar,ts), Gerry Mulligan (bar), Freddie Green (g), Henry Grimes (b) and Dave Bailey (d)...

Here's Here's One for Harry James in 1958...

Here's Theme and Variations for the Bill Holman Big Band in 1958, with Conte Candoli, Ed Leddy, Al Porcino and Jack Sheldon (tp); Carl Fontana, Frank Rosolino, Ray Sims (tb) Herb Geller, Charlie Mariano (as) Bill Holman (ts,arr) Richie Kamuca, Charlie Kennedy (ts) Bill Hood (bar) Victor Feldman (p) Buddy Clark (b) Mel Lewis (d). What's fascinating here is you get to hear how Bill built an arrangement, starting with a simple idea and then embellishing with call-and-response motifs...

And here's Exactly Like You for Ralph Marterie in 1959, with Ralph Marterie, Pete Candoli, Conrad Gozzo and Don Fagerquist (tp); Frank Rosolino and Vern Friley (tb); Buddy De Franco and Bud Shank (cl,as); Gus Bivona and Bob Cooper (ts); Babe Russin (bar); Jimmy Rowles (p); Al Hendrickson (g); Red Mitchell (b) and Jack Sperling (d)...

Bonus: Here's the Stan Kenton Orchestra in Germany in 1953, with Bill Holman on the far right of the saxophone section, playing Gerry Mulligan's Swing House...